After camping out twice for iPhones, this editor-in-chief has decided to part ways with iPhone 3G. Find out why, and what Apple can do to win back my vote.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not unhappy with the performance I’ve gotten from my original iPhone. And, my iPhone 3G served its purpose. But, several factors have come together that have brought me to the point, that it’s time to move on.

With the recent launch of the second-generation iPod touch, this really became a simple choice. With the iPod touch, I can use Wi-Fi to sling internet from any Symbian or Windows Mobile phone. And, that frees up my cell phone plan… to do anything I want with it. I can watch live TV from my Slingbox, share internet with my laptop, and download podcasts wirelessly.

Did I mention that I can play all my video games thanks to emulators, tune into radio (yes, while surfing the web), chat in the background, and still have enough bandwidth to place a VoIP phone call?

Now, unlike most… I’m not going to shout and demand that Apple completely rid the walled garden, and enable these applications on all iPhones. AT&T would throw a fit, and their already-bogged-down data network could crawl to a halt. But, as Om Malik put it simply “today’s power users, are tomorrow’s everyday users.” Apple needs to provide power users such access, while building a path for traditional users to benefit from these advances… someday.

And, that’s why Apple should offer an unlocked iPhone 3G. No, the ability to swap SIMs with international providers is nice, but breaking free from the walled garden will benefit even more users. AT&T will already unlock an $80 3G phone for no charge… the value-added benefit in an unlocked iPhone would be in its ability to be jailbroken from the get-go.

Now, you may be wondering why I don’t just jailbreak my iPhone 3G. And, I’ve done that. After all, it lets me stream recorded video via Qik, play my Sega Genesis and Sega CD games (long live Sonic CD, by the way), and share internet with PdaNet. But, the answer to that is simple… it’s the economy stupid.

Quite simply, innovation on iPhone is stifled right now. Slingbox can’t get in (except over Wi-Fi, which they’re still hashing out with Apple), Adobe Flash is in approval quagmire (which is still being hashed out by Apple), and Apple’s rational for prohibiting emulators has run out of excuses (while Apple comes up with new ones). See a repeating problem here? Apple is the limiting factor on innovation, in each of these areas.

Apple held off on releasing Boot Camp for Macintosh, for nearly six months. But, when they did… their stock value shot up 10% on the news. Apple had 802.11n in hundreds of thousands of MacBooks, but was disabled until Apple could ship a complimenting router. And, every iPhone sold, as well as the current iPod touch, could do Stereo Bluetooth A2DP. See a trend here? Apple benefits from holding back on technology, it’s a powerful marketing tactic to help a company get its ducks in a row.

Sure, the impending kill-off of cheap iPhone 3G data loopholes is what ultimately did things in, but, I actually think I will pick up some utility. And, if Apple was actually engaging in “FairPlay” with apps, the GoPhone Pick Your Plan offering would be just fine.

For example, with a Touch Diamond on Sprint, you can get unlimited data for as low as $25/month (sans voice plan, thanks to the Sprint Developer Plan offering). That gives you all the benefits of Windows Mobile, while handing off web, email, and App Store duties to the iPod touch. Or, an XV6800 on Verizon Wireless can do the same, now for only $30/month, thanks to Verizon’s data rate cuts.

And yes, this has been possible all along (we were, after all, the first to cover that originally). But, again, the iPod touch 2G changed everything. Now, you can get a full-fledged PDA, and a full-fledged MID (Mobile Internet Device). No headphones for audio, actual volume controls… it’s exactly what I complained about in the first generation.

Hopefully Apple will get the message. An unlocked iPhone can actually sell for $699. AT&T doesn’t have a problem when HTC, Palm, Sony Ericsson, and Nokia do it. All Apple needs to do, is tear down this wall… somewhat. Even with just one iPhone OS device being open, developers will supply the innovation that will prove successful to Apple. What will it prove exactly? It will prove that these blocked apps are, in most cases, profitable to everyone… and that blocking them only hurts Apple.

Christopher Price is the Founding Editor of PhoneNews.com. Today, he leads the team building Console, Inc. - a new kind of Android™ device. He still likes to pontificate... a lot. You can visit his personal blog at ChristopherPrice.net.

I couldn’t have said it better. I love my iPhone, I just miss my WinMo phone because of the exact same reason stated here. I can’t Sling, VoIP, tether, etc on my iPhone. The only thing preventing me from going back to WinMo is lack of a good non-bulky phone (where are you X1?).

Don, the VZW version of the HTC Titan (XV6800) is only hindered in regard to GPS. But, as you see in the article linked in my last comment… there is an easy workaround.

Plus, unlike Apple, HTC has not played the cat-and-mouse game of preventing hackers from making their own (unhindered) firmware. I am not saying hinderances are always evil (though I do think VZW’s GPS hinderance is just that… and we’ll continue to call them out on it if they try it on newer devices).

What I do think is that manufacturers need to give savvy users a way out (even if it’s only tacitly supported), so they can do what they want with their device. HTC has clearly done that, consistently over the past five years.

My 2yrs with Sprint was up but I chose to stay for another 2yrs and get the Touch Diamond. Why?

1. I’m a traveling business user and I depend on tethering my laptop to my phone.
2, Ability to use GPS with real GPS software.
3. Cost of unlimited data is way cheaper on Sprint
4. Sprint has a larger 3g network

There is no walled garden whatsoever. The GPS works with real GPS soaftware out of the box, the unlimited PDA data plan is only $30, and you can even get a $15 unlimited Media net data plan if don’t tell them you are using a Tilt.

No need to play Apple’s walled garden games, and no need to play Verizon’s locked down games either.

While I can’t profess the love here for Sprint, I would say that I am leaning on dumping the phone and going back to trusty and reliable blackberry. When the iPhone works it works great, the app store while “walled” as the article states does show some signs of progress at least in the level of maturity in the applications. However, simply put the phone sucks. Its so unreliable for voice calls on 3G its scary. For all its beauty, for all its charm it still just needs to work.

[…] Jailbreaking the iPod touch 2G is seen as significant for two reasons. One, the iPod touch 2G is the fastest mobile device Apple has made, with a significantly faster CPU than used in iPhone (3G) and the first-generation iPod touch. Also, it is the first iPod touch with a speaker, making it a truly functional PDA (even for folks that want to sling Wi-Fi from a mobile phone). […]

Christopher Price, you are my new favorite person. Ever since I got my new third gen itouch, I’ve been cursing verizon during unproductive trips to the secret menus of my NV2. I know this is old technology (technology doesn’t advance very quickly in rural america, that’s why I can’t get and iPhone. I have honestly never heard of the android or htc products until a few
weeks ago, but some posts on here about those products are
over 15 months old…) but according to verizon, the NV2 is capable of doing the two things necesary for slinging broadband over Bluetooth: 1) it is capable of providing mobile broadband connect services to a computer through the serial port. 2) it is supposedly capable of emulating a serial port through bluetooth. In order to protect those precious ring tone sales that no sane person would shell out for, verizon disabled many Bluetooth capabilities in their handsets. This act of greed is the only thing standing between me and having a mobile Internet device not bound to the few and far between wifi hot spots, and especially not restricted by the far inferior technology that the cell phone companies feel is adequate for the hard working citizens of rural America. I would appreciate any advice you can offer that would help me get my iPod and phone to talk to eachother. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind paying a little more a month to get data services, or even a little more for a new phone like the htc, but before I spend money, I want to make sure it will work.

Forgot to mention: in order for a computer to access
the mobile broadband connect from a verizon phone, the computer
must be equipped with special software available for free from verizon. This program is available for mac or pc, but obviously there’s not an app for that. AT&T would probably have a fit if apple sold an app that allowed me to essentially receive services that they don’t offer in my area, without paying for it. I can believe capitalism has driven companies to compete to make such amazing products, but at the same time, they’re competition drives them to not offer services that they are perfectly capable of providing.